Kasım İleri
April 06, 2016•Update: April 19, 2016
By Kasim Ileri
WASHINGTON
Ted Cruz won the Wisconsin Republican primary on Tuesday, shaking front-runner Donald Trump’s campaign and taking the party one more step towards a brokered convention in July.
The Texas Senator had won almost half of the vote with 90 percent counted late on Tuesday, getting 33 delegates. Trump had managed 34 percent of the vote and three delegates.
Ohio Governor John Kasich came third with 14 percent of the vote and zero delegates.
With his total of 514 delegates, Cruz needs more than 200 more to bridge the gap with Trump’s 740 delegates. The Texas senator’s victory in Wisconsin may convince the Republican Party establishment to unite behind him to stop the controversial New York real-estate mogul.
If Cruz wins enough delegates to prevent Trump from reaching 1,237 before the GOP convention in Cleveland in July, Republicans will debate to pick a nominee.
There are still 16 state primaries remaining, with more than 600 delegates at stake.
"Tonight is a turning point," Cruz declared during a victory rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin "I am more and more convinced that our campaign is going to win the 1,237 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination.”
The senator added that he would now bring the party together to defeat Trump and be nominated for the U.S. presidential election in November.
"Hillary, get ready, here we come," Cruz said.
Trump’s campaign issued a statement after his loss in Wisconsin.
"Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet – he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump,” the statement read.
It said Trump was confident of winning New York on Apr. 19 and other upcoming primaries as well as the presidential race against the Democratic nominee.
“Donald J. Trump withstood the onslaught of the establishment yet again. Lyin' Ted Cruz had the Governor of Wisconsin, many conservative talk radio show hosts, and the entire party apparatus behind him,” the statement added.
On the Democratic side, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primary.
Sanders was on 56 percent of the vote with 90 percent counted late on Tuesday. He had secured 45 of 86 Democratic delegates while his rival and front-runner Hillary Clinton secured 43 percent of the vote and 31 delegates.
Clinton currently has 1,743 delegates (with 469 super delegates) while Sanders has 1,025 (with 31 super delegates).
Tuesday's victory by Sanders gave his campaign further momentum after several victories over Clinton.
Sanders told supporter at a rally in Wyoming on Tuesday night that he believed his recent momentum could bring him more super delegates, who are free to support whichever candidate regardless of who wins their state.
"I think a lot of these super delegates are going to be saying which candidate has the momentum, which one brings out huge numbers," Sanders said.
Clinton, on the other hand, tweeted her congratulations to Sanders while at a New York fundraiser.
"Congrats to @BernieSanders on winning Wisconsin. To all the voters and volunteers who poured your hearts into this campaign: Forward! –H," she wrote.
